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Permission · background

What the background permission means for a Chrome extension

Live Chrome Web Store extensions that declare background: 1 739, which is 1% of the 270 886 whose permissions we have read. Counted after our catalog pass of 2026-10-10.

What it lets an extension do

Keep running while the browser is open background

Routine for an extension

Routine for an extension: on its own it does not reach your browsing data or the pages you open.

What Chrome says when you add one

We know of no install warning Chrome shows for this permission on its own. Chrome may still warn about the site access an extension declares alongside it.

How common it is in each category

How common it is in each category
CategoryShare of extensionsExtensions
Lifestyle · Social2%145 of 7 160
Productivity · Communication2%113 of 7 120
Productivity · Workflow1%518 of 45 728
Lifestyle · News1%16 of 1 631
Make Chrome Yours · Accessibility1%53 of 8 075
Lifestyle · Shopping1%55 of 8 710
Lifestyle · Travel1%5 of 855
Productivity · Developerunder 1%138 of 28 347
Lifestyle · Well Beingunder 1%14 of 2 878
Productivity · Toolsunder 1%515 of 106 524
Lifestyle · Fununder 1%35 of 8 489
Make Chrome Yours · Privacyunder 1%20 of 5 449
Productivity · Educationunder 1%42 of 11 519
Lifestyle · Entertainmentunder 1%22 of 6 364
Make Chrome Yours · Functionalityunder 1%35 of 11 127
Lifestyle · Gamesunder 1%9 of 6 897
Lifestyle · Artunder 1%4 of 3 521
Lifestyle · Household0%0 of 492

Counted over the live extensions of each category after our latest full pass of the store. A share is context, not a verdict: what is normal depends on what the extension is for.

Widely installed extensions that ask for it

  1. Mobility Print Access to every site · 9 permissions, 2 site patterns 11.0M users ★ 2.4
  2. Browsec VPN - Free VPN for Chrome Access to every site · 9 permissions, 1 site pattern 8.0M users ★ 4.5
  3. vidIQ Vision for YouTube Access to every site · 6 permissions, 1 site pattern 4.0M users ★ 4.5
  4. TeraBox Download Assistant Access to every site · 8 permissions, 2 site patterns 3.0M users ★ 2.4
  5. HID Credential Management Extension No site access · 3 permissions 2.0M users ★ 1.3
  6. Steam Inventory Helper Access to every site · 11 permissions, 1 site pattern 1.0M users ★ 4.5
  7. Topaz SigPlusExtLite Extension Access to every site · 3 permissions, 1 site pattern 1.0M users ★ 4.0
  8. Helium 10 for Amazon Sellers, Influencers, and Walmart Sellers Access to every site · 6 permissions, 1 site pattern 1.0M users ★ 4.1
  9. HubSpot Sales Access to every site · 9 permissions, 1 site pattern 1.0M users ★ 4.4
  10. Grass Lite Node Access to every site · 5 permissions, 1 site pattern 900k users ★ 3.9

Each links to what that extension can access and how its permissions have changed.

How to check your own extensions

  1. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar and find the extension in the list.
  2. Open its details. The Permissions section lists what Chrome granted it, in Chrome's own words.
  3. Open its details. The site access setting shows where it can run; set it to run only on click and it reaches a page only after you press its icon.
  4. To uninstall it, choose Remove on the same page.

Other permissions

Figures come from our own daily pass over the public Chrome Web Store. We do not install or audit extensions and publish no contact details for their developers. Catalog pass of .

Browse the catalog

Where the data comes from: how the catalog is built